24 Nov, 2014

Natural Tips for Controlling and Reducing Stretch Marks

By Soap Blogger

For millions of women, not to mention a pretty sizeable chunk of the male population, stretch marks represent an apparently major skin complaint that takes a real toll on confidence. In some cases, those affected are willing to go to rather extreme lengths to either reduce the appearance of their stretch marks or banish them altogether – it’s not uncommon to hear of them being literally sliced clean off the patient. Suffice to say however this is far from a preferable course of action to take for the sake of your skin’s health, but with so much conflicting information as to what works and what doesn’t, it can be tricky to know what to do.

Well, the good news is that decades of testing all manner of weird and wonderful ideas has produced more than enough evidence to support some theories and completely quash others. So, if you’d rather side with the tips and tricks that have proven their merit time and time again, here’s an overview of the front-runners for natural stretch mark control:

Exfoliation

Adding a simple and very gentle exfoliate to your everyday beauty regime can work wonders on stretch marks given time. However, the key word here is ‘gentle’ and this means steering clear of anything artificial or overly rough on the skin’s surface.

Moisture

Perhaps the most obvious tip also happens to be the most important – your skin relies on its natural moisture to repair itself, protect itself and generally remain healthy. As such, you need to make sure you’re not only using plenty of moisturiser to seal all the good stuff in, but also taking in plenty of water to combat the problem from the inside.

Weight Control

It’s hardly a secret that the biggest trigger of stretch marks is rapid and/or excessive weight gain or loss – precisely why they’re often inevitable following pregnancy. As such, it’s important to keep a close watch over personal weight control in general as it is largely impossible to banish or even reduce the appearance of stretch marks when an individual doesn’t maintain a consistent and healthy weight.

Vitamin E Massage

Another favourite among dermatologists is the simple massage – ideally using a product that’s rich in Vitamin E. The massaging action itself can work wonders for the general health and suppleness of the skin, with the benefits of a good Vitamin E cream or oil of course well documented.

Time to Breathe

Constantly wearing tight, restrictive and abrasive clothing over the affected area is known to be a trigger for longer-lasting stretch marks that are difficult to get rid of. By contrast, giving the marks time to breathe will better facilitate the healing process.

Avoid the Sun

And finally, the rays of the sun may feel as though they’re doing your skin the world of good, but will in fact wreak further havoc on stretch marks. Not only will UV rays lead to an unwelcome and damaging drying effect, but will also at the same time make stretch marks darker and infinitely more prominent.